Autonomous tennis assistant systems

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for autonomous tennis assistant systems. Example methods include determining, by a device, an outer boundary line of a tennis court, generating a digital representation of the tennis court using the outer boundary line, where the digital representation includes at least a portion of an out-of-bounds area adjacent to the outer boundary line, determining a first location of a first tennis ball, and causing a tennis ball retrieval robot to move to the first location to retrieve the first tennis ball, where the tennis ball retrieval robot is wirelessly connected to the device.

BACKGROUND

Certain sports may be played with multiple people, such as tennis,volleyball, badminton, and so forth. However, players may desire topractice such sports alone. For example, a tennis player may desire topractice various tennis movements, but may not have an opponent. Inaddition, a player may use multiple tennis balls during a practicesession and/or during a match. Retrieval of tennis balls, or othersports equipment for different sports, may be cumbersome and timeconsuming. Accordingly, autonomous tennis assistant devices may bedesired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration onlyand merely depict example embodiments of the disclosure. The drawingsare provided to facilitate understanding of the disclosure and shall notbe deemed to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of thedisclosure. In the drawings, the left-most digit(s) of a referencenumeral may identify the drawing in which the reference numeral firstappears. The use of the same reference numerals indicates similar, butnot necessarily the same or identical components. However, differentreference numerals may be used to identify similar components as well.Various embodiments may utilize elements or components other than thoseillustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may notbe present in various embodiments. The use of singular terminology todescribe a component or element may, depending on the context, encompassa plural number of such components or elements and vice versa.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example use case for anautonomous tennis assistant device in accordance with one or moreexample embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an example process flow forautonomous tennis ball retrieval in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates components of an autonomous tennisassistant system, including an autonomous tennis ball retrieval robotand a base station, in accordance with one or more example embodimentsof the disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-4C are schematic illustrations of various views of anautonomous tennis ball retrieval robot in accordance with one or moreexample embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an example base station coupled toa tennis net structure in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 6A-6B are schematic illustrations of an example set up process foran autonomous tennis ball retrieval robot in accordance with one or moreexample embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of generation and presentation of anexample user interface for interaction with an autonomous tennisassistant system in accordance with one or more example embodiments ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an autonomous tennis ballretrieval robot in a portable mode in accordance with one or moreexample embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of an autonomous tennis ballretrieval robot with a clay court sweeping attachment in accordance withone or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic hybrid illustration of an example process anddata flow for an autonomous tennis assistant system in accordance withone or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of an example process flow forretrieval of tennis balls along boundaries in accordance with one ormore example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of an example process flow forclearing ball jams at an autonomous tennis ball retrieval robot inaccordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative device inaccordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

During gameplay of certain games, such as tennis, badminton, pickleball, and so forth, players may use a ball or other object. In someinstances, more than one ball or object may be used. For example, duringtennis, multiple tennis balls may be used during gameplay. Retrieval oftennis balls or other gameplay objects may be time consuming andcumbersome. In addition, players may desire to practice on their own,without another human player.

Embodiments of the disclosure include autonomous tennis assistantsystems that may include autonomous tennis ball retrieval robots andbase stations that can be used to not only retrieve tennis ballsautonomously, but also to capture various player performance metricsduring gameplay or practice sessions.

Referring to FIG. 1, an example use case 100 for an autonomous tennisassistant system is depicted in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure. For example, a player 110 may be playingor practicing tennis on a tennis court using a first tennis ball 120 anda second tennis ball 122. Any number of balls may be used. Theautonomous tennis assistant system may include a tennis ball retrievalrobot 130 and a base station 140 in wireless communication with eachother. The autonomous tennis assistant system may determine locations ofthe tennis balls on or around the tennis court, and may cause the tennisballs to be retrieved using the tennis ball retrieval robot 130. Forexample, images of the tennis court and surrounding area captured bycameras disposed at the base station 140 and/or the tennis ballretrieval robot 130 may be processed using computer vision algorithms todetect boundaries of the court, including edge boundaries 150, such asfences or other obstacles, as well as tennis balls, such as the firsttennis ball 120 and the second tennis ball 122. The tennis ballretrieval robot 130 and/or the base station 140 may generate a path tothe location of the tennis balls and autonomously retrieve the tennisballs. In some embodiments, the tennis ball retrieval robot 130 may beconfigured to eject the tennis balls back towards the player 110 forpractice play.

To autonomously retrieve tennis balls, an example process flow 160 ispresented and may be performed, for example, by one or more remoteservers, the base station 140, and/or the tennis ball retrieval robot130. The remote server and/or computer system may include at least onememory that stores computer-executable instructions and at least oneprocessor configured to access the at least one memory and execute thecomputer-executable instructions to perform various actions oroperations, such as one or more of the operations in the process flow160 of FIG. 1.

At a first block 162, a cluster of tennis balls may be detected. Acluster may be a predetermined density or number of tennis balls withina certain area. Other metrics may be used to determine and/or identifyclusters, as discussed at least with respect to FIGS. 2 and 7. At asecond block 164, a current location of an autonomous ball collectiondevice, such as the tennis ball retrieval robot 130, may be determined.For example, a location of the tennis ball retrieval robot 130 relativeto the cluster of tennis balls may be determined. At a third block 166,the tennis ball retrieval robot 130 may autonomously navigate to thecluster. For example, a path may be planned to navigate through theambient environment to the cluster, where obstacles can be detected inreal-time and avoided. At a fourth block 168, the cluster of tennisballs may be retrieved by the tennis ball retrieval robot 130. Theretrieval process may include guiding the tennis balls towards a ballinlet on the tennis ball retrieval robot 130 using two arms, where theballs are propelled along a ball direction path into a ball collectiondevice on the tennis ball retrieval robot 130.

Example embodiments of the disclosure provide a number of technicalfeatures or technical effects. For example, in accordance with exampleembodiments of the disclosure, certain embodiments of the disclosure mayautomatically determine paths through ambient environments and/orautonomously retrieve tennis balls. As a result of improvedfunctionality, embodiments may detect and retrieve tennis balls in anefficient manner. The above examples of technical features and/ortechnical effects of example embodiments of the disclosure are merelyillustrative and not exhaustive.

One or more illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have beendescribed above. The above-described embodiments are merely illustrativeof the scope of this disclosure and are not intended to be limiting inany way. Accordingly, variations, modifications, and equivalents ofembodiments disclosed herein are also within the scope of thisdisclosure. The above-described embodiments and additional and/oralternative embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detailhereinafter through reference to the accompanying drawings.

Illustrative Process and Use Cases

FIG. 2 depicts an example process flow 200 for autonomous tennis ballretrieval in accordance with one or more example embodiments of thedisclosure. While example embodiments of the disclosure may be describedin the context of tennis balls, it should be appreciated that thedisclosure is more broadly applicable to any type of object retrieval.Some or all of the blocks of the process flows in this disclosure may beperformed in a distributed manner across any number of devices. Theoperations of the process flow 200 may be optional and may be performedin a different order.

At block 210 of the process flow 200, computer-executable instructionsstored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server or a userdevice, may be executed to determine an outer boundary line of a tenniscourt. For example, a base station or a remote server may determine anouter boundary line of a tennis court. The outer boundary line may bedetermined using computer vision processing of one or more images orvideos captured using a camera at a base station or a tennis ballretrieval robot. The images may be processed for edge detection toidentify a location of outer boundary lines. Additional features orlandmarks, such as inside boundary lines, edge boundaries of a tenniscourt, such as a fence, a net post, or other edge boundary, nets, and/orother features may be detected in addition to the outer boundary line.Analysis of frames may include processing images using one or moreobject recognition algorithms, determining pixel color values, comparingcertain portions of frames to previous or subsequent frames in a video,and the like.

At block 220 of the process flow 200, computer-executable instructionsstored on a memory of a device may be executed to generate a digitalrepresentation of the tennis court using the outer boundary line,wherein the digital representation comprises at least a portion of anout-of-bounds area adjacent to the outer boundary line. For example, aremote server and/or the base station may generate a digitalrepresentation of the tennis court using the outer boundary line,wherein the digital representation comprises at least a portion of anout-of-bounds area adjacent to the outer boundary line. The digitalrepresentation may be presented at a user interface, such as thatdescribed with respect to FIG. 7. The digital representation may includea virtual rendering of the tennis court, including the tennis ballretrieval robot and the base station in their respective locations. Thedigital representation may include edge boundaries, as well as optionallocations of tennis balls and/or clusters of tennis balls. Theout-of-bounds area may include area between the tennis court boundaryline and an edge boundary, where tennis balls may accumulate in theout-of-bounds area.

At optional block 230 of the process flow 200, computer-executableinstructions stored on a memory of a device may be executed to determinea first location of a first tennis ball. For example, a remote server, atennis ball retrieval robot, and/or a base station may determine a firstlocation of a first tennis ball. The first location may be determinedbased at least in part on analysis of images captured by the basestation and/or the tennis ball retrieval robot. For example, variouscomputer vision processing of images may be performed, such as objectdetection algorithm processing, to detect tennis balls in a frame. Thelocation of the tennis balls may be determined as absolute positioningor as relative positioning, such as relative to the location of thetennis ball retrieval robot.

At optional block 240, computer-executable instructions stored on amemory of a device may be executed to determine that a plurality oftennis balls are disposed within a distance of the first location priorto causing the tennis ball retrieval robot to move to the firstlocation. For example, a remote server, a tennis ball retrieval robot,and/or a base station may determine that a plurality of tennis balls aredisposed within a distance of the first location prior to causing thetennis ball retrieval robot to move to the first location. Such anarrangement of tennis balls may be identified as a cluster. Retrieval ofa cluster of tennis balls may be prioritized over individual tennisballs, as more tennis balls may be retrieved from a cluster thanindividual tennis balls. Accordingly, in some embodiments, clusters maybe located prior to causing a tennis ball retrieval robot to move.

At block 250, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of adevice may be executed to cause a tennis ball retrieval robot to move tothe first location to retrieve the first tennis ball, wherein the tennisball retrieval robot is wirelessly connected to the device. For example,a remote server, a tennis ball retrieval robot, and/or a base stationmay cause a tennis ball retrieval robot to move to the first location toretrieve the first tennis ball, wherein the tennis ball retrieval robotis wirelessly connected to the device. The first tennis ball may be nearor part of a cluster of tennis balls, and the tennis ball retrievalrobot may autonomously navigate to the first location to retrieve thefirst tennis ball. After the first tennis ball is retrieved, the tennisball retrieval robot may continue to retrieve other tennis balls in thecluster and/or on the tennis court.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates components of an autonomous tennisassistant system, including an autonomous tennis ball retrieval robot300 and a base station 330, in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure. Different embodiments may includedifferent, additional, or fewer components than those illustrated in theexamples of FIG. 3. The tennis ball retrieval robot 300 and base station330 may be the same tennis ball retrieval robot discussed with respectto the other figures.

A tennis ball retrieval robot 300 may be configured to retrieve one ormore tennis balls autonomously, where the tennis ball retrieval robot300 may detect tennis balls in an ambient environment and navigate tothe detected balls for retrieval. The tennis ball retrieval robot 300may operate in conjunction with a base station 330, where the basestation 330 may provide data from a different vantage point, such aselevated with respect to the tennis ball retrieval robot 300, where thedata can be used to retrieve tennis balls, identify boundaries, identifyobstacles, and/or other functionality.

In one example embodiment, the tennis ball retrieval robot 300 may be anautonomous ball collection device that includes one or more wirelessradios 310, one or more sensors 312, one or more optional cameras 314,one or more controllers 316, one or more batteries 318, one or moremotors 320, and/or other components. The wireless radio 310 may be usedto communicate wirelessly with other components, such as the basestation 330, a user device, a remote server, and so forth. In someembodiments, the wireless radio 310 may be configured to broadcast awireless network or hotspot in conjunction with an antenna. The sensors312 may include any suitable sensor used for navigation, such asultrasonic sensors, proximity sensors, depth sensors, and so forth. Theoptional cameras 314 may include one or more cameras oriented to image afield of view in front of the tennis ball retrieval robot 300, where theimages or videos may be used to detect the presence of tennis balls.Other cameras may be used and may have different placement orpositioning. The controller 316 may include one or more computerprocessors coupled to memory and may be configured to control variousoperations of the tennis ball retrieval robot 300. The batteries 318 maybe configured to power the motor of the tennis ball retrieval robot 300,as well as various electronics. The batteries 318 may therefore berechargeable. The motors 320 may power wheels to move the tennis ballretrieval robot 300. Any number of motors may be included.

The base station 330 may be configured to communicate wirelessly withthe tennis ball retrieval robot 300 and/or one or more remote servers.The base station 330 may operate in conjunction with the tennis ballretrieval robot 300 to detect tennis ball location and retrieve tennisballs. In some embodiments, the base station 330 may determine variousperformance metrics for users via images captured during gameplay. Inaddition, the base station 330 may determine whether a tennis balllanded inside or on a boundary line, outside a boundary line, whether apoint was scored, a ball speed of a tennis ball, topspin of a tennisball, a type of stroke used to hit a tennis ball, whether a tennis matchwas won, and/or other metrics based at least in part on video capturedby one or more cameras of the base station 330.

In one example embodiment, the base station 330 may be include one ormore wireless radios 340, one or more optional sensors 342, one or morecameras 344, one or more controllers 346, one or more batteries 348,memory 350, and/or other components. The wireless radio 340 may be usedto communicate wirelessly with other components, such as the tennis ballretrieval robot 300, a user device, a remote server, and so forth. Insome embodiments, the wireless radio 340 may be configured to broadcasta wireless network or hotspot in conjunction with an antenna. Theoptional sensors 342 may include any suitable sensor, such as ultrasonicsensors, proximity sensors, depth sensors, and so forth. The cameras 344may include one or more cameras oriented to image a field of view infront of the base station 330. Some embodiments may include one cameraoriented towards a first side of a tennis court, and a second cameraoriented towards a second side of the tennis court. Other cameras may beused and may have different placement or positioning. The controller 346may include one or more computer processors coupled to memory and may beconfigured to control various operations of the base station 330. Thebatteries 348 may be configured to power the base station 330. Thebatteries 348 may therefore be rechargeable. The memory 350 may beconfigured to store video captured using the camera 344.

FIGS. 4A-4C are schematic illustrations of various views of anautonomous tennis ball retrieval robot 400 in accordance with one ormore example embodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments mayinclude different and/or additional or fewer components than thoseillustrated in FIGS. 4A-4C. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400 may bethe same tennis ball retrieval robot discussed with respect to FIGS.1-3.

The tennis ball retrieval robot 400 may be configured to retrieve ballsdisposed in an ambient environment. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400may be an autonomous interactive tennis ball device configured toretrieve tennis balls autonomously. In some embodiments, the tennis ballretrieval robot 400 may be further configured to eject tennis ballsautonomously.

In FIG. 4A, the tennis ball retrieval robot 400 is depicted in a topview, as well as partial bottom views. In the top view, the tennis ballretrieval robot 400 is depicted with a first arm 420 in a storedposition and a second arm 430 in an engaged position. To beginoperation, the first arm 420 may be coupled to a housing 410 of thetennis ball retrieval robot 400. An angle between the first arm 420 andthe second arm 430 may be fixed and in some instances may be adjustable(either manually or automatically). The second arm 430 may include ahead 440 disposed at a distal end of the second arm 430. The first arm420 may include the same elements as the second arm 430, such as thehead. The head 440 may be an angular head, and in some instances mayhave a triangular geometrical configuration. Other embodiments may havea different geometrical configuration. The second arm 430 may include abent member 432 configured to prevent tennis balls from rolling awayfrom a front end of the tennis ball retrieval robot 400. The first arm420 may also include the bent member. The second arm 430 and/or thefirst arm 420 may include any number of sensors disposed thereon ortherein, such as inside the head 440.

The tennis ball retrieval robot 400 may include a frame 450 that can beused to manually handle the tennis ball retrieval robot 400, such asduring transport or in a rolling mode, as discussed in more detail withrespect to FIG. 8. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400 may include aball collection device 460 that may be configured to rotate with respectto the frame 450, such as into and/or out of the page in the example ofFIG. 4A. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400 may include a balldirection path 470 that guides balls from a ball inlet at a front end ofthe housing 410 (where the ball inlet is formed in the housing betweenthe first arm 420 and the second arm 430) to the ball collection device460. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400 may include one or more wheels480. For example, the wheels 480 may be used to allow the tennis ballretrieval robot 400 to roll in a rolling mode (e.g., when the first arm420 and the second arm 430 are removed from the housing 410). The wheels480 may be coupled to a motor and actively driven in some embodiments.

The tennis ball retrieval robot 400 is depicted in bottom view with andwithout a shield 452. As depicted in the bottom views, the tennis ballretrieval robot 400 may include one or more additional guide wheels 482to assist in movement of the tennis ball retrieval robot 400. The guidewheels 482 may be driven or passive. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400may include a ball roller 472 configured to propel tennis balls alongthe ball direction path 470 from the ball inlet to the ball collectiondevice 470. The ball roller 472 may be a wheel, a sphere, a cylinder, oranother type of driven roller configured to rotate and propel balls in acertain direction. The ball roller 472 may have a high friction coatingdisposed thereon to increase traction on tennis ball surfaces. The ballroller 472 and corresponding ball direction path are depicted in detailin the bottom view and bottom perspective view of FIG. 4B.

The head 440 of the arms is depicted in perspective and bottomperspective views in FIG. 4C. The head 440 may include one or moreactive or passive roller wheels 442 that allow for the head 440 to movealong edge boundaries, such as a fence. The head 440 may include a highfriction material 446 disposed about an angled portion of the head,which may improve a sliding ability of the head 440 to slide along edgeboundaries. One or more sensors 444 or other components may be disposedin or on the head 440, such as proximity sensors, force sensors, and soforth that allow the tennis ball retrieval robot 400 to determine whenthe tennis ball retrieval robot 400 is adjacent to an edge boundary orother obstacle. The head 440 may include one or more wheels 448, such ascaster wheels, to allow the head 440 to move along the ground. Thewheels 448 may be passive or actively driven.

Accordingly, the tennis ball retrieval robot 400 may have a housing witha ball inlet, and a first wheel coupled to the housing, such as thewheel 480. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400 may include a motordisposed in the housing and configured to rotate the first wheel, and asecond wheel coupled to the ball collection portion 470, such as theguide wheels 482, where the second wheel may be a passive wheel. Thetennis ball retrieval robot 400 may include a ball collection portioncoupled to the housing and configured to receive a plurality of balls,and an optional bag removably coupled to the ball collection portion,such as that illustrated in FIG. 9. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400may include a first arm removably coupled to the housing, and a secondarm removably coupled to the housing, where the first arm and the secondarm together guide balls towards the ball inlet. An angle between thefirst arm and the second arm may be adjustable in some embodiments. Thetennis ball retrieval robot 400 may include a battery disposed in thehousing, and a detachable power cord configured to couple sensors in thearm(s) to the battery. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400 may include aball direction device configured to direct balls from the ball inlet tothe ball collection portion. The ball direction device may include awheel or ball roller having a high friction surface, where the wheel orball roller is configured to engage outer surfaces of balls. The tennisball retrieval robot 400 may include a first sensor coupled to the firstarm, where the tennis ball retrieval robot is configured to detectobstacles using the first sensor. The tennis ball retrieval robot 400may include a second sensor coupled to the housing, such as a camerasensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or another type of sensor, where thetennis ball retrieval robot 400 is configured to navigate autonomouslyusing the first sensor and/or the second sensor.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an example base station 550coupled to a tennis net structure in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments may include differentand/or additional or fewer components or operations than thoseillustrated in FIG. 5. The base station 550 may be the same base stationdiscussed with respect to FIGS. 1-4.

At a first operation 500 in FIG. 5, a base station holder 520 may besecured to a net post 510, such as a net post of a tennis court, oranother structure disposed on or adjacent to a tennis court. The basestation holder 520 may be configured to support a base station coupledthereto. In some embodiments, the base station holder 520 may includeone or more apertures in a base platform to allow rain or other liquidto pass through instead of accumulating in the base station holder 520when the base station is not disposed in the base station holder 520.The base station holder 520 may be secured to the net post 510 using oneor more straps 530. The base station holder 520 may remain coupled tothe net post 510 even when the base station is removed.

At a second operation 540, the base station 550 may be removably coupledto the base station holder 520. The base station 550 may be positionedin the base station holder 520 such that a first camera 552 and a secondcamera 554 are oriented toward the tennis court. The base station holder520 may include one or more cutouts, such as that depicted in theexample of FIG. 5, to allow for heat dissipation and/or ambientenvironment exposure of additional sensors or components of the basestation 550.

FIGS. 6A-6B are schematic illustrations of an example set up process foran autonomous tennis ball retrieval robot in accordance with one or moreexample embodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments may includedifferent and/or additional or fewer components or operations than thoseillustrated in FIGS. 6A-6B.

In FIG. 6A, at a first instance 600, arms of the tennis ball retrievalrobot may be removed from a secured position. The arms may be secured tothe housing of the tennis ball retrieval robot for transport. The tennisball retrieval robot may be positioned on a ground surface, and the armsmay be removed.

At a second instance 610, the arms may be positioned into theirrespective slots on the housing of the tennis ball retrieval robot. Thearms may be slid towards the housing of the tennis ball retrieval robotto engage and may be secured using any suitable coupling mechanism. At athird instance 620, the arm is depicted in the coupled position. Thesame engagement process may be used to engage a second arm of the tennisball retrieval robot.

As depicted in FIG. 6B, in some embodiments, the arm of the tennis ballretrieval robot may be coupled to the housing of the tennis ballretrieval robot at a fourth instance 630, during which the arm may firstbe inserted at an inclined angle 640, and then lowered to a ground level642 to couple the arm to the housing. As illustrated in detail view 650,the arm may be coupled via rotation of the arm between the inclinedangle 640 and the flat or ground level orientation 642 as illustrated indetail view 652.

After the arm is coupled, at a fifth instance 660, a power cord 670 maybe coupled to the arm. The power cord 670 may provide power for one ormore sensors, motors, or other components disposed in or otherwisecoupled to the arm. The same process may be used to couple the secondarm of the tennis ball retrieval robot. After the arms are coupled, thetennis ball retrieval robot may be ready for use.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of generation and presentation of anexample user interface 700 for interaction with an autonomous tennisassistant system in accordance with one or more example embodiments ofthe disclosure. While example embodiments of the disclosure may bedescribed in the context of user interfaces presented at a user device,it should be appreciated that the disclosure is more broadly applicableto any suitable user interface. Other embodiments may include differentelements than those depicted in the example of FIG. 7.

In FIG. 7, the user interface 700 may be generated by one or more of abase station, a tennis ball retrieval robot, and/or a remote server. Theuser interface 700 may be presented at a user device, such as a mobilephone of a user in the vicinity of the base station and/or tennis ballretrieval robot.

The user interface 700 may include a digital representation of thetennis court. The user interface 700 may be based at least in part onimages captured by a base station 710 and/or a tennis ball retrievalrobot 720. The user interface 700 may be generated at the base station710, the tennis ball retrieval robot 720, the user device, and/or aremote server and may be presented at the user device. The userinterface 700 may include representations of the base station 710 andthe tennis ball retrieval robot 720, and may reflect the currentreal-world positioning of the components on the tennis court. In someembodiments, the base station 710 may determine a physical location ofthe tennis ball retrieval robot 720, where the digital representation ofthe tennis court includes the tennis ball retrieval robot at coordinatescorresponding to the physical location, where the user interface isupdated as the tennis ball retrieval robot 720 moves. In someembodiments, the tennis ball retrieval robot 720 may localize itself.For example, the base station 710 may send data associated with thedigital representation to the tennis ball retrieval robot 720, where thetennis ball retrieval robot 720 may be configured to use the data todetermine a position of the tennis ball retrieval robot 720 in thedigital representation.

The user interface 700 may include one or more landmarks, such as a net,one or more tennis court boundary lines 730, 740, one or more edgeboundaries 750, such as a fence, and so forth. Other embodiments mayinclude different elements. Landmarks may be represented via physicallocation coordinates on the user interface 700, where the positioning ofthe landmarks reflects the physical location coordinates associated withthe respective landmarks. Other embodiments may include one landmark, nolandmarks, or a different number of landmarks.

The user interface 700 may display one or more tennis balls in theirrespective locations as detected by one or more cameras of the basestation 710 and/or the tennis ball retrieval robot 720. In someembodiments, the tennis balls may be presented as clusters instead ofindividually. For example, a first cluster of tennis balls 770 may bepresented as a single graphical element instead of individual tennisballs. In other embodiments, the tennis balls may be presentedindividually as depicted in the example of FIG. 7. Users may selectregions on the user interface 700 for the tennis ball retrieval robot720 to go retrieve tennis balls. For example, the user may select thefirst cluster 770 and/or the individual tennis balls in a second region760 for clearing. The tennis ball retrieval robot 720 may determine theuser input and may autonomously navigate to the selected regions toretrieve the tennis balls.

The user interface 700 may include one or more selectable options 780that may be selected by a user. For example, the selectable options 780may include a “select region to clear” option, an “auto navigation”option, a “remote control” option, a “return balls” option, and/or otheroptions. The “select region to clear” option may be used to select aregion of the tennis court, such as the first cluster of tennis balls770, to clear, and may cause the tennis ball retrieval robot 720 toautonomously navigate to the selected region. The “auto navigation”option may be selected to cause the tennis ball retrieval robot 720 tonavigate and detect tennis balls autonomously with or without input fromthe base station 710. For example, if the user is continuously playingand doesn't want a specific region to be cleared, and instead wants thetennis ball retrieval robot 720 to continuously detect and retrieveballs, the “auto navigation” option may be selected. The “remotecontrol” option may be used to present a directional pad user interfacethat allows the user to manually direct movement of the tennis ballretrieval robot 720. For example, a navigation menu may be presented atthe user device, where inputs at the user device cause the tennis ballretrieval robot 720 to move on the tennis court. In some embodiments,the base station 710 may cause presentation of a navigation menu at theuser device, receive, from the user device, data associated with userinputs at the navigation menu, and cause the tennis ball retrieval robot720 to move on the tennis court based at least in part on the datareceived from the user device. The “return balls” option may be used tocause the tennis ball retrieval robot to initiate ejecting balls towardsa user for embodiments that are configured to both retrieve and ejecttennis balls. For example, the balls may be ejected towards the user toallow the user to practice playing tennis without a human opponent.

To communicate, a local wireless network or hotspot may be broadcast bythe base station 710 and/or the tennis ball retrieval robot 720. Theuser device, base station 710, and tennis ball retrieval robot 720 mayjoin the wireless network, which may allow for wireless communicationamongst the components. For example, a controller at the base station710 and/or at the tennis ball retrieval robot 720 (depending on whichcomponent is broadcasting the network), may be configured to broadcast awireless network, determine that the tennis ball retrieval robot 720 isconnected to the wireless network, determine that the base station 710is connected to the wireless network, and/or determine that the userdevice is connected to the wireless network.

During retrieval of tennis balls, whether in the autonomous navigationmode and/or in instances where a user has selected a specific region toclear, the tennis ball retrieval robot 720 may prioritize retrieval ofclusters of tennis balls instead of individual tennis balls. Forexample, a controller at the base station 710 and/or the tennis ballretrieval robot 720 may determine that a plurality of tennis balls aredisposed within a distance of each other, or of a first tennis ball. Forexample, if there are three tennis balls, where each tennis ball iswithin a predetermined distance of at least one other tennis ball (e.g.,18″, etc.), the three tennis balls may be identified as a cluster. Insome embodiments, the predetermined distance may vary based on a totalnumber of tennis balls detected on the tennis court, where the greaterthe number of tennis balls, the shorter the predetermined distance is.In some embodiments, clusters may be determined and/or identified priorto initiating movement of the tennis ball retrieval robot 720.

Accordingly, the tennis ball retrieval robot 720 and/or the base station710 may determine a first location of a first tennis ball, cause thetennis ball retrieval robot 720 to move to the first location, determinea second location of a second tennis ball, optionally determine that thesecond location is within a distance of the first location, and causethe tennis ball retrieval robot to move to the second location toretrieve the second tennis ball.

In some embodiments, edge boundaries may be identified using computervision processing of images captured using cameras at the tennis ballretrieval robot 720 and/or the base station 710, as well as sensorfeedback from sensors at the tennis ball retrieval robot 720, such asproximity sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and so forth. The controller atthe tennis ball retrieval robot 720 (or in some embodiments at the basestation 710) may therefore determine an edge boundary of the tenniscourt. To retrieve tennis balls near the edge boundary, such as a fence,the controller may determine that a location of a tennis ball is withina distance of the edge boundary, and may cause a configuration of thetennis ball retrieval robot to change from a first configuration to asecond configuration. Configuration changes may include changes to anangle between the arms of the tennis ball retrieval robot 720, changesin movement speed of the tennis ball retrieval robot 720, changes tooperational mode, and/or other configuration changes. For example, thesecond configuration of the tennis ball retrieval robot may have adifferent arm positioning than the first configuration, and/or adifferent speed of movement of the tennis ball retrieval robot 720.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an autonomous tennis ballretrieval robot in a portable mode in accordance with one or moreexample embodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments may includedifferent and/or additional or fewer components or operations than thoseillustrated in FIG. 8.

At a first operation 800 in FIG. 8, the arms of the tennis ballretrieval robot may be removed from a front end of the tennis ballretrieval robot, and may be returned to a secure position adjacent tothe respective sides of the tennis ball retrieval robot. The arms may besecured using any suitable securing component, such as clamps, frictionfit, buckles, straps, and so forth.

At operation 810, the tennis ball retrieval robot may be lifted by itsframe, where the frame can be used as a handle to push and/or pull thetennis ball retrieval robot. Once lifted, the tennis ball retrievalrobot may be rolled and/or transported in a portable mode by rollingalong its wheel(s) 820. In the portable mode, the ball collection devicemay rotate to be substantially horizontal or horizontal, such that thetennis balls do not fall out of the ball collection device. Accordingly,the ball collection device may be configured to rotate with respect tothe frame of the tennis ball retrieval robot in some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of an autonomous tennis ballretrieval robot 900 with a clay court sweeping attachment in accordancewith one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. Otherembodiments may include different types of attachments, such asrake-type attachments, that may be used instead of the clay courtsweeping attachment depicted in the example of FIG. 9.

In FIG. 9, the tennis ball retrieval robot 900 is depicted with a claycourt sweeping device 950. The clay court sweeping device 950 may beused to sweep tennis balls along a clay tennis court in a certaindirection, as retrieval of tennis balls on clay courts may be difficultdue to the compressive nature of the clay. The clay court sweepingdevice 950 may include one or more bristles that brush along the claycourt to move tennis balls in a certain direction.

The tennis ball retrieval robot 900 may include a bag 910 disposed in aball collection portion of the tennis ball retrieval robot 900. The bag910 may be removably coupled to the ball collection portion. In someembodiments, the bag 910 may be a net bag and/or formed of a netmaterial. The tennis ball retrieval robot 900 may include a frame 920that may or may not form a part of the housing of the tennis ballretrieval robot 900. The clay court sweeping device 950 may be coupledto the frame 920 of the tennis ball retrieval robot 900. In someembodiments, the clay court sweeping device 950 may be coupled to thetennis ball retrieval robot 900 along the frame 920 or another portionof the housing. The clay court sweeping device 950 may include anattachment portion that engages the frame 920. The clay court sweepingdevice 950 may include a joint 930 about which an angle of orientationof the clay court sweeping device 950 can be modified. The joint 930 maybe passive or actively controlled. The clay court sweeping device 950may include a member 940 between the joint 930 and the bristles portionof the clay court sweeping device 950. The member 940 may be disposed ata fixed angle to allow for a predetermined amount of contact between thebristles and the clay court. During operation, the tennis ball retrievalrobot 900 may move in a rearward direction to guide tennis balls to acertain area (e.g., an area selected by a user and/or predetermined areadesignated during a previous visit to the tennis court, etc.) of thetennis court. Instead of navigating to guide tennis balls between thearms of the tennis ball retrieval robot 900, the tennis ball retrievalrobot 900 may navigate to guide tennis balls into contact with the claycourt sweeping device 950.

FIG. 10 is a schematic hybrid illustration of an example process anddata flow 1000 for an autonomous tennis assistant system in accordancewith one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. Differentembodiments may include different, additional, or fewer componentsand/or inputs or outputs than those illustrated in the example of FIG.10. In some embodiments, the components of FIG. 10 may be stored and/orexecuted at a tennis ball retrieval robot, at a base station, at aremote server, and/or across one or more distributed computer systems.Depending on the architecture of the system, various data and/or outputsmay be wirelessly communicated across components of an autonomous tennisassistant system.

An autonomous navigation engine 1010 may be configured to guide movementof a tennis ball retrieval robot. The autonomous navigation engine 1010may be stored at and/or executed by one or more remote servers, at abase station, and/or at a tennis ball retrieval robot. The autonomousnavigation engine 1010 may include one or more modules or algorithms,and may be configured to guide movement and/or plan a path of movementfor a tennis ball retrieval robot.

For example, the autonomous navigation engine 1010 may include one ormore computer vision module(s) 1020, one or more communication module(s)1030, and/or one or more path planning module(s) 1040. Additional orfewer, or different, modules may be included. The computer visionmodule(s) 1020 may be configured to process and/or analyze imagescaptured by one or more cameras. For example, the computer visionmodule(s) 1020 may be configured to determine frames or sets of framesof video or images captured by cameras at a base station and/or at atennis ball retrieval robot. The computer vision module(s) 1020 may beconfigured to detect the presence of tennis balls in the frames. Thecomputer vision module(s) 1020 may be configured to detect or analyzeimages to determine a number of tennis balls in a certain region, aswell as determine the location of clusters of tennis balls. Clusters maybe defined as a number of tennis balls in a region that is greater thana number of tennis balls in another region (e.g., clusters may berelative) and/or as a predetermined number of tennis balls within acertain distance of each other, such as 5 tennis balls within 12 inchesof at least one other tennis ball. Computer vision module(s) 1020 mayinclude one or more object recognition algorithms configured to detectat least one of a ball, a boundary of a tennis court, an edge boundary,and/or other features.

The communication module(s) 1030 may be configured to communicate datawith other computer systems. For example, outputs of the autonomousnavigation engine 1010 may be sent to other computer systems by thecommunication module(s) 1030. Various inputs of the autonomousnavigation engine 1010 may be retrieved and/or requested by thecommunication module(s) 1030.

The path planning module(s) 1040 may be configured to determine, basedat least in part on locations of tennis balls and/or clusters of tennisballs, a path of movement for a tennis ball retrieval robot through anenvironment. For example, output of the computer vision module(s) 1020may be used by the path planning module(s) 1040 to plan a path ofmovement through an environment. The path may be configured to guide thetennis ball retrieval robot around any obstacles in the environment toretrieve tennis balls. The path planning module(s) 1040 may beconfigured to update a planned path in or near real-time as obstaclesare detected, such as a human in the vicinity of the tennis retrievalrobot, and so forth. In some embodiments, the path planning module(s)1040 may be configured to implement one or more machine learningalgorithms and/or neural networks to determine optimized paths in anenvironment and/or to update planned paths.

The autonomous navigation engine 1010 may receive one or more inputs,and may be configured to output detected ball data 1080. The detectedball data 1080 may be location or positional data (e.g., positional datarelative to a position of the tennis ball retrieval robot, etc.) of oneor more tennis balls for retrieval. For example, the autonomousnavigation engine 1010 may receive one or more of sensor data 1050associated with sensors disposed at a tennis ball retrieval robot and/orbase station, camera data 1060 associated with cameras disposed at thetennis ball retrieval robot and/or base station, and/or station data1070 associated with one or more controllers at a base station. In someembodiments, one or more of the sensor data 1050, camera data 1060,and/or station data 1070 may be generated at a tennis ball retrievalrobot and processed at a base station or remote server, and in otherembodiments, such data may be processed at the tennis ball retrievalrobot.

The autonomous navigation engine 1010 may process the respective dataand output the detected ball data 1080. For example, the sensor data1050 may be processed using one or more of the computer vision module(s)1020, the communication module(s) 1030, and/or the path planningmodule(s) 1040. Likewise, the camera data 1060 and/or the station data1070 may be processed using one or more of the modules or algorithms ofthe autonomous navigation engine 1010.

Using one or more algorithms or modules, the autonomous navigationengine 1010 may output the detected ball data 1080. The detected balldata 1080 may indicate the location of one or more tennis balls and/orclusters of tennis balls to be retrieved by the tennis ball retrievalrobot. The detected ball data 1080 may be optionally input at a pathplanning engine 1090. In some embodiments that implement a distributedcomputing environment, the path planning engine 1090 may be executed ata separate computing system, such as at a remote server.

The detected ball data 1080 may otherwise be sent and/or input at adevice navigation controller 1092, such as a controller of the tennisball retrieval robot. The device navigation controller 1092 may executethe planned path and/or autonomously updated path to cause the tennisball retrieval robot to move through an environment. In embodimentswhere the path planning engine 1090 is used, the output of the pathplanning engine 1090 may be input at the device navigation controller1092, whereas in other embodiments, the detected ball data 1080 may beinput at the device navigation controller 1092.

The tennis ball retrieval robot may therefore autonomously navigatethrough an environment to detect tennis balls and to retrieve detectedtennis balls in an environment without user input.

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of an example process flow 1100 forretrieval of tennis balls along boundaries in accordance with one ormore example embodiments of the disclosure. While example embodiments ofthe disclosure may be described in the context of tennis balls andfences, it should be appreciated that the disclosure is more broadlyapplicable to any suitable type of round object for retrieval, and anyother suitable boundary, such as walls, nets, etc. Some or all of theblocks of the process flows in this disclosure may be optional and maybe performed in a distributed manner across any number of devices. Theoperations of the process flow 1100 may be performed in a differentorder.

At block 1110 of the process flow 1100, computer-executable instructionsstored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server, a tennis ballretrieval robot, or a base station, may be executed to determine an edgeboundary of a tennis court. For example, an edge boundary may be a wall,a fence, a net, or another vertical obstacle that may limit movement ofa tennis retrieval robot in at least one direction. To determine theedge boundary, in some embodiments, a base station may capture one ormore images of a tennis court area and may identify the edge boundaryusing computer vision. In other embodiments, the images may be sent toone or more remote servers for processing and corresponding coordinatesof an edge boundary may be received by the base station and/or tennisretrieval robot. There may be more than one edge boundary, such asfences along both a lateral axis and longitudinal axis of the tenniscourt. In some instances, locations of edge boundaries may be identifiedby a user via one or more inputs at a user device. User inputs at adevice may be communicated with a base station and/or tennis ballretrieval robot via wireless communication. Location coordinates may bedetermined as absolute positioning values or relative to components. Forexample, positional data may be relative to a current positioning of atennis ball retrieval robot.

In some embodiments, edge boundaries may be determined based at least inpart on data collected by a tennis ball retrieval robot. For example,during movement, the tennis ball retrieval robot may detect an obstacle,which may be the edge boundary, and may map the obstacle location basedon camera and/or other sensor feedback during movement. In one example,sensor feedback at an arm of the tennis ball retrieval robot may be usedto determine that the edge boundary is present, and as the tennis ballretrieval robot moves along the edge boundary, the dimensions of theedge boundary may be determined.

At block 1120 of the process flow 1100, computer-executable instructionsstored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server, a tennis ballretrieval robot, or a base station, may be executed to determine that afirst location of a first tennis ball is within a distance of the edgeboundary. For example, a base station may capture one or more images ofa tennis court area and may identify a first location of a first tennisball, a second location of a tennis ball, and so forth. In otherembodiments, the tennis ball retrieval robot may determine the firstlocation locally, and/or a remote server may process one or more imagesand determine the first location. The first location of the firstlocation may be determined to be within a predetermined distance, suchas a number of inches or feet, from the edge boundary. The predetermineddistance may be a distance between the heads of the arms of the tennisball retrieval robot in one example.

At block 1130 of the process flow 1100, computer-executable instructionsstored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server, a tennis ballretrieval robot, or a base station, may be executed to cause aconfiguration of the tennis ball retrieval robot to change from a firstconfiguration to a second configuration. For example, the base stationmay send one or more commands to the tennis ball retrieval robot tomodify a configuration of one or more components. In other embodiments,the tennis ball retrieval robot may determine the edge boundary on itsown, and may modify its configuration autonomously. Changes inconfiguration may include a change in the angle between the arms of thetennis ball retrieval robot, a change in speed of operation of thetennis ball retrieval robot, a change in sensor measurement timeintervals at the tennis ball retrieval robot, and/or other configurationchanges. For example, an angle between the arms of the tennis ballretrieval robot may be reduced or narrowed, so as to facilitatecollection of balls along the edge boundary. In another example, a speedof movement may be reduced so as to avoid collision at high speed withthe edge boundary and/or tennis balls being inadvertently pushed awayfrom the collection target area, and so forth. In another example, achange in sensor measurement time may be a reduction in time interval,so as to collect more granular data related to positioning of the edgeboundary.

Accordingly, the process flow 1100 may be executed by one or morecomponents of an autonomous tennis assistant system to collect orretrieve tennis balls disposed at or near an edge boundary of a tenniscourt. The operations of the process flow 1100 may allow for retrievalof most or all tennis balls while preventing tennis balls from bouncingagainst the edge boundary and/or damaging the tennis ball retrievalrobot.

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of an example process flow 1200 forclearing ball jams at an autonomous tennis ball retrieval robot inaccordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. Whileexample embodiments of the disclosure may be described in the context oftennis balls, it should be appreciated that the disclosure is morebroadly applicable to any suitable type of object for retrieval. Some orall of the blocks of the process flows in this disclosure may beoptional and may be performed in a distributed manner across any numberof devices. The operations of the process flow 1200 may be performed ina different order.

At block 1210 of the process flow 1200, computer-executable instructionsstored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server, a tennis ballretrieval robot, or a base station, may be executed to detect a ball jamin a ball direction device of a tennis ball retrieval robot. Forexample, the tennis ball retrieval robot may detect a ball jam in theball direction device based at least in part on feedback from a ballroller of the ball direction device, where the ball roller may beconfigured to propel balls up and/or in a rearward into the ballcollection device or ball collection portion of the tennis ballretrieval robot. Feedback from the ball roller may include a stop inmovement of the ball roller, which may indicate that a ball is jammed atthe ball direction device. Jams may occur between the ball roller and aground surface and/or between a roller and the ball direction device oranother component of the tennis ball retrieval robot. In someembodiments, jams may be detected locally at the tennis ball retrievalrobot, such as by a controller of the tennis ball retrieval robot and/orone or more computer processors coupled to memory at the tennis ballretrieval robot.

At block 1220 of the process flow 1200, computer-executable instructionsstored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server, a tennis ballretrieval robot, or a base station, may be executed to cause a ballroller of the tennis ball retrieval robot to reverse direction. Forexample, a controller at the tennis ball retrieval robot may cause theball roller of the tennis ball retrieval robot to move in a directionopposite that of its original rotation. For instance, the ball rollermay typically move in a direction that results in tennis balls beingpropelled toward a rear of the tennis ball retrieval robot. Reversal ofthe ball roller may cause a jammed tennis ball to move or be propelledtoward a front of the tennis ball retrieval robot (e.g., toward the armsof the tennis ball retrieval robot instead of towards the ballcollection device, etc.). In one embodiment, a ball roller may switchfrom a forward rotation to a reverse rotation to free a jammed tennisball. Accordingly, the ball roller may move in a first direction duringnormal operation, but when a jam is detected, the controller or aconnected computer system may cause the ball roller to move in a seconddirection that is opposite the first direction.

At optional block 1230 of the process flow 1200, computer-executableinstructions stored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server, atennis ball retrieval robot, or a base station, may be executed to causethe tennis ball retrieval robot to move in a reverse direction. Forexample, the controller of the tennis ball retrieval robot may cause thetennis ball retrieval robot to move backward instead of forward, whichmay provide additional jam clearing functionality by making it easierfor a jammed tennis ball to be propelled toward a front of the tennisball retrieval robot. In some embodiments, the operation of block 1230may be performed if a jam remains after the ball roller has been movingin the reverse direction (e.g., as described with respect to block 1220,etc.) for a certain amount of time, such as 3 seconds. In otherembodiments, the operation of block 1230 may be performed at the sametime as the operation of block 1220. Some embodiments may not performthe optional operation of block 1230.

At block 1240 of the process flow 1200, computer-executable instructionsstored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server, a tennis ballretrieval robot, or a base station, may be executed to determine thatthe ball jam is cleared. For example, the controller of the tennis ballretrieval robot may determine that the ball jam is cleared based atleast in part on feedback from the ball roller, which may be representedas a change in speed and/or friction detected at the ball roller. Inother embodiments, different sensor feedback, such as proximity sensorfeedback from a sensor disposed adjacent to the ball roller may be usedto determine whether a jam is present and/or whether a jam is cleared.

At block 1250 of the process flow 1200, computer-executable instructionsstored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server, a tennis ballretrieval robot, or a base station, may be executed to cause a ballroller of the tennis ball retrieval robot to reverse direction again.For example, a controller at the tennis ball retrieval robot may causethe ball roller of the tennis ball retrieval robot to move in adirection corresponding to its original rotation. For instance, the ballroller may resume normal operation, such as a direction that results intennis balls being propelled toward a rear of the tennis ball retrievalrobot.

At optional block 1260 of the process flow 1200, computer-executableinstructions stored on a memory of a device, such as a remote server, atennis ball retrieval robot, or a base station, may be executed to causethe tennis ball retrieval robot to move in a forward direction. Forexample, the controller of the tennis ball retrieval robot may cause thetennis ball retrieval robot to move forward, or to otherwise resumenormal operation. In some embodiments, the tennis ball retrieval robotmay be paused when a jam is detected, and may resume normal operation ina forward direction when the jam is cleared.

Accordingly, the operations of process flow 1200 may be performed by oneor more computer systems to detect and clear jams at the tennis ballretrieval robot.

One or more operations of the methods, process flows, or use cases ofFIGS. 1-12 may have been described above as being performed by a userdevice, or more specifically, by one or more program module(s),applications, or the like executing on a device. It should beappreciated, however, that any of the operations of the methods, processflows, or use cases of FIGS. 1-12 may be performed, at least in part, ina distributed manner by one or more other devices, or more specifically,by one or more program module(s), applications, or the like executing onsuch devices. In addition, it should be appreciated that the processingperformed in response to the execution of computer-executableinstructions provided as part of an application, program module, or thelike may be interchangeably described herein as being performed by theapplication or the program module itself or by a device on which theapplication, program module, or the like is executing. While theoperations of the methods, process flows, or use cases of FIGS. 1-12 maybe described in the context of the illustrative devices, it should beappreciated that such operations may be implemented in connection withnumerous other device configurations.

The operations described and depicted in the illustrative methods,process flows, and use cases of FIGS. 1-12 may be carried out orperformed in any suitable order as desired in various exampleembodiments of the disclosure. Additionally, in certain exampleembodiments, at least a portion of the operations may be carried out inparallel. Furthermore, in certain example embodiments, less, more, ordifferent operations than those depicted in FIGS. 1-12 may be performed.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, oneof ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous othermodifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of thedisclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processingcapabilities described with respect to a particular device or componentmay be performed by any other device or component. Further, whilevarious illustrative implementations and architectures have beendescribed in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous othermodifications to the illustrative implementations and architecturesdescribed herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with reference toblock and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatuses, and/orcomputer program products according to example embodiments. It will beunderstood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flowdiagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and the flowdiagrams, respectively, may be implemented by execution ofcomputer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of theblock diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to beperformed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to beperformed at all, according to some embodiments. Further, additionalcomponents and/or operations beyond those depicted in blocks of theblock and/or flow diagrams may be present in certain embodiments.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams supportcombinations of means for performing the specified functions,combinations of elements or steps for performing the specifiedfunctions, and program instruction means for performing the specifiedfunctions. It will also be understood that each block of the blockdiagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the blockdiagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by special-purpose,hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions,elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

Illustrative Device Architecture

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a device 1300, such as a basestation, an autonomous tennis ball retrieval robot, a remote server, auser device, and/or another device in communication with an autonomoustennis assistant system, in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure. The device 1300 may include any suitablecomputing device capable of receiving and/or generating data including,but not limited to, a mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet,e-reader, wearable device, or the like; a desktop computer; a laptopcomputer; a content streaming device; a set-top box; or the like. Thedevice 1300 may correspond to an illustrative device configuration forthe devices of FIGS. 1-12.

The device 1300 may be configured to communicate via one or morenetworks with one or more servers, user devices, or the like. In someembodiments, a single remote server or single group of remote serversmay be configured to perform more than one type of path planning and/ornavigation functionality.

Example network(s) may include, but are not limited to, any one or moredifferent types of communications networks such as, for example, cablenetworks, public networks (e.g., the Internet), private networks (e.g.,frame-relay networks), wireless networks, cellular networks, telephonenetworks (e.g., a public switched telephone network), or any othersuitable private or public packet-switched or circuit-switched networks.Further, such network(s) may have any suitable communication rangeassociated therewith and may include, for example, global networks(e.g., the Internet), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide areanetworks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), or personal area networks(PANs). In addition, such network(s) may include communication links andassociated networking devices (e.g., link-layer switches, routers, etc.)for transmitting network traffic over any suitable type of mediumincluding, but not limited to, coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire (e.g.,twisted-pair copper wire), optical fiber, a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC)medium, a microwave medium, a radio frequency communication medium, asatellite communication medium, or any combination thereof.

In an illustrative configuration, the device 1300 may include one ormore processors (processor(s)) 1302, one or more memory devices 1304(generically referred to herein as memory 1304), one or moreinput/output (I/O) interface(s) 1306, one or more network interface(s)1308, one or more sensors or sensor interface(s) 1310, one or moretransceivers 1312, one or more optional speakers 1314, one or moreoptional microphones 1316, and data storage 1320. The device 1300 mayfurther include one or more buses 1318 that functionally couple variouscomponents of the device 1300. The device 1300 may further include oneor more antenna(s) 1334 that may include, without limitation, a cellularantenna for transmitting or receiving signals to/from a cellular networkinfrastructure, an antenna for transmitting or receiving Wi-Fi signalsto/from an access point (AP), a Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS) antenna for receiving GNSS signals from a GNSS satellite, aBluetooth antenna for transmitting or receiving Bluetooth signals, aNear Field Communication (NFC) antenna for transmitting or receiving NFCsignals, and so forth. These various components will be described inmore detail hereinafter.

The bus(es) 1318 may include at least one of a system bus, a memory bus,an address bus, or a message bus, and may permit exchange of information(e.g., data (including computer-executable code), signaling, etc.)between various components of the device 1300. The bus(es) 1318 mayinclude, without limitation, a memory bus or a memory controller, aperipheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and so forth. The bus(es)1318 may be associated with any suitable bus architecture including,without limitation, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), a MicroChannel Architecture (MCA), an Enhanced ISA (EISA), a Video ElectronicsStandards Association (VESA) architecture, an Accelerated Graphics Port(AGP) architecture, a Peripheral Component Interconnects (PCI)architecture, a PCI-Express architecture, a Personal Computer MemoryCard International Association (PCMCIA) architecture, a Universal SerialBus (USB) architecture, and so forth.

The memory 1304 of the device 1300 may include volatile memory (memorythat maintains its state when supplied with power) such as random accessmemory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory (memory that maintains its stateeven when not supplied with power) such as read-only memory (ROM), flashmemory, ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), and so forth. Persistent data storage,as that term is used herein, may include non-volatile memory. In certainexample embodiments, volatile memory may enable faster read/write accessthan non-volatile memory. However, in certain other example embodiments,certain types of non-volatile memory (e.g., FRAM) may enable fasterread/write access than certain types of volatile memory.

In various implementations, the memory 1304 may include multipledifferent types of memory such as various types of static random accessmemory (SRAM), various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM),various types of unalterable ROM, and/or writeable variants of ROM suchas electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory, and so forth. The memory 1304 may include main memory as well asvarious forms of cache memory such as instruction cache(s), datacache(s), translation lookaside buffer(s) (TLBs), and so forth. Further,cache memory such as a data cache may be a multi-level cache organizedas a hierarchy of one or more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

The data storage 1320 may include removable storage and/or non-removablestorage including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical diskstorage, and/or tape storage. The data storage 1320 may providenon-volatile storage of computer-executable instructions and other data.The memory 1304 and the data storage 1320, removable and/ornon-removable, are examples of computer-readable storage media (CRSM) asthat term is used herein.

The data storage 1320 may store computer-executable code, instructions,or the like that may be loadable into the memory 1304 and executable bythe processor(s) 1302 to cause the processor(s) 1302 to perform orinitiate various operations. The data storage 1320 may additionallystore data that may be copied to memory 1304 for use by the processor(s)1302 during the execution of the computer-executable instructions.Moreover, output data generated as a result of execution of thecomputer-executable instructions by the processor(s) 1302 may be storedinitially in memory 1304, and may ultimately be copied to data storage1320 for non-volatile storage.

More specifically, the data storage 1320 may store one or more operatingsystems (O/S) 1322; one or more database management systems (DBMS) 1324;and one or more program module(s), applications, engines,computer-executable code, scripts, or the like such as, for example, oneor more ball tracking module(s) 1326, one or more communicationmodule(s) 1328, and/or one or more path planning module(s) 1330. Some orall of these module(s) may be sub-module(s). Any of the componentsdepicted as being stored in data storage 1320 may include anycombination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. The software and/orfirmware may include computer-executable code, instructions, or the likethat may be loaded into the memory 1304 for execution by one or more ofthe processor(s) 1302. Any of the components depicted as being stored indata storage 1320 may support functionality described in reference tocorrespondingly named components earlier in this disclosure.

The data storage 1320 may further store various types of data utilizedby components of the device 1300. Any data stored in the data storage1320 may be loaded into the memory 1304 for use by the processor(s) 1302in executing computer-executable code. In addition, any data depicted asbeing stored in the data storage 1320 may potentially be stored in oneor more datastore(s) and may be accessed via the DBMS 1324 and loaded inthe memory 1304 for use by the processor(s) 1302 in executingcomputer-executable code. The datastore(s) may include, but are notlimited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), filesystems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored onmore than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer networkdatastores, or the like. In FIG. 13, the datastore(s) may include, forexample, user profile information, user preference information, andother information.

The processor(s) 1302 may be configured to access the memory 1304 andexecute computer-executable instructions loaded therein. For example,the processor(s) 1302 may be configured to execute computer-executableinstructions of the various program module(s), applications, engines, orthe like of the device 1300 to cause or facilitate various operations tobe performed in accordance with one or more embodiments of thedisclosure. The processor(s) 1302 may include any suitable processingunit capable of accepting data as input, processing the input data inaccordance with stored computer-executable instructions, and generatingoutput data. The processor(s) 1302 may include any type of suitableprocessing unit including, but not limited to, a central processingunit, a microprocessor, a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC)microprocessor, a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC)microprocessor, a microcontroller, an Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), aSystem-on-a-Chip (SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), and so forth.Further, the processor(s) 1302 may have any suitable microarchitecturedesign that includes any number of constituent components such as, forexample, registers, multiplexers, arithmetic logic units, cachecontrollers for controlling read/write operations to cache memory,branch predictors, or the like. The microarchitecture design of theprocessor(s) 1302 may be capable of supporting any of a variety ofinstruction sets.

Referring now to functionality supported by the various programmodule(s) depicted in FIG. 13, the ball tracking module(s) 1326 mayinclude computer-executable instructions, code, or the like thatresponsive to execution by one or more of the processor(s) 1302 mayperform functions including, but not limited to, determining balllocation, performing computer vision on one or more images or videosegments, determining clusters of balls, determining ball speed,determining top spin, determining type of stroke, and the like.

The communication module(s) 1328 may include computer-executableinstructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one ormore of the processor(s) 1302 may perform functions including, but notlimited to, communicating with one or more devices, for example, viawired or wireless communication, communicating with remote servers,communicating with remote datastores, sending or receivingnotifications, sending location data, determining localizationparameters, determining device location, communicating with a basestation and/or tennis retrieval robot, determining path planning values,and the like.

The path planning module(s) 1330 may include computer-executableinstructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one ormore of the processor(s) 1302 may perform functions including, but notlimited to, analyzing location data, extracting frames, determiningobstacle positioning, determining navigation values, determining optimalpaths, determining boundaries, determining device speed, and the like.

Referring now to other illustrative components depicted as being storedin the data storage 1320, the O/S 1322 may be loaded from the datastorage 1320 into the memory 1304 and may provide an interface betweenother application software executing on the device 1300 and hardwareresources of the device 1300. More specifically, the O/S 1322 mayinclude a set of computer-executable instructions for managing hardwareresources of the device 1300 and for providing common services to otherapplication programs (e.g., managing memory allocation among variousapplication programs). In certain example embodiments, the O/S 1322 maycontrol execution of the other program module(s) to dynamically enhancecharacters for content rendering. The O/S 1322 may include any operatingsystem now known or which may be developed in the future including, butnot limited to, any server operating system, any mainframe operatingsystem, or any other proprietary or non-proprietary operating system.

The DBMS 1324 may be loaded into the memory 1304 and may supportfunctionality for accessing, retrieving, storing, and/or manipulatingdata stored in the memory 1304 and/or data stored in the data storage1320. The DBMS 1324 may use any of a variety of database models (e.g.,relational model, object model, etc.) and may support any of a varietyof query languages. The DBMS 1324 may access data represented in one ormore data schemas and stored in any suitable data repository including,but not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.),file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is storedon more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer networkdatastores, or the like. In those example embodiments in which thedevice 1300 is a mobile device, the DBMS 1324 may be any suitablelight-weight DBMS optimized for performance on a mobile device.

Referring now to other illustrative components of the device 1300, theinput/output (I/O) interface(s) 1306 may facilitate the receipt of inputinformation by the device 1300 from one or more I/O devices as well asthe output of information from the device 1300 to the one or more I/Odevices. The I/O devices may include any of a variety of components suchas a display or display screen having a touch surface or touchscreen; anaudio output device for producing sound, such as a speaker; an audiocapture device, such as a microphone; an image and/or video capturedevice, such as a camera; a haptic unit; and so forth. Any of thesecomponents may be integrated into the device 1300 or may be separate.The I/O devices may further include, for example, any number ofperipheral devices such as data storage devices, printing devices, andso forth.

The I/O interface(s) 1306 may also include an interface for an externalperipheral device connection such as universal serial bus (USB),FireWire, Thunderbolt, Ethernet port or other connection protocol thatmay connect to one or more networks. The I/O interface(s) 1306 may alsoinclude a connection to one or more of the antenna(s) 1334 to connect toone or more networks via a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such asWi-Fi) radio, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and/or a wireless network radio, suchas a radio capable of communication with a wireless communicationnetwork such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, WiMAX network, 3Gnetwork, ZigBee network, etc.

The device 1300 may further include one or more network interface(s)1308 via which the device 1300 may communicate with any of a variety ofother systems, platforms, networks, devices, and so forth. The networkinterface(s) 1308 may enable communication, for example, with one ormore wireless routers, one or more host servers, one or more webservers, and the like via one or more of networks.

The antenna(s) 1334 may include any suitable type of antenna depending,for example, on the communications protocols used to transmit or receivesignals via the antenna(s) 1334. Non-limiting examples of suitableantennas may include directional antennas, non-directional antennas,dipole antennas, folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) antennas, or the like. The antenna(s) 1334 may becommunicatively coupled to one or more transceivers 1312 or radiocomponents to which or from which signals may be transmitted orreceived.

As previously described, the antenna(s) 1334 may include a cellularantenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance withestablished standards and protocols, such as Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), 3G standards (e.g., Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access(W-CDMA), CDMA2000, etc.), 4G standards (e.g., Long-Term Evolution(LTE), WiMax, etc.), direct satellite communications, or the like.

The antenna(s) 1334 may additionally, or alternatively, include a Wi-Fiantenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance withestablished standards and protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family ofstandards, including via 2.4 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g,802.11n), 5 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac), or 60 GHz channels(e.g., 802.11ad). In alternative example embodiments, the antenna(s)1334 may be configured to transmit or receive radio frequency signalswithin any suitable frequency range forming part of the unlicensedportion of the radio spectrum.

The antenna(s) 1334 may additionally, or alternatively, include a GNSSantenna configured to receive GNSS signals from three or more GNSSsatellites carrying time-position information to triangulate a positiontherefrom. Such a GNSS antenna may be configured to receive GNSS signalsfrom any current or planned GNSS such as, for example, the GlobalPositioning System (GPS), the GLONASS System, the Compass NavigationSystem, the Galileo System, or the Indian Regional Navigational System.

The transceiver(s) 1312 may include any suitable radio component(s)for—in cooperation with the antenna(s) 1334—transmitting or receivingradio frequency (RF) signals in the bandwidth and/or channelscorresponding to the communications protocols utilized by the device1300 to communicate with other devices. The transceiver(s) 1312 mayinclude hardware, software, and/or firmware for modulating,transmitting, or receiving—potentially in cooperation with any ofantenna(s) 1334—communications signals according to any of thecommunications protocols discussed above including, but not limited to,one or more Wi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi direct protocols, as standardized by theIEEE 802.11 standards, one or more non-Wi-Fi protocols, or one or morecellular communications protocols or standards. The transceiver(s) 1312may further include hardware, firmware, or software for receiving GNSSsignals. The transceiver(s) 1312 may include any known receiver andbaseband suitable for communicating via the communications protocolsutilized by the device 1300. The transceiver(s) 1312 may further includea low noise amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, ananalog-to-digital (A/D) converter, one or more buffers, a digitalbaseband, or the like.

The sensor(s)/sensor interface(s) 1310 may include or may be capable ofinterfacing with any suitable type of sensing device such as, forexample, inertial sensors, force sensors, thermal sensors, and so forth.Example types of inertial sensors may include accelerometers (e.g.,MEMS-based accelerometers), gyroscopes, and so forth.

The optional speaker(s) 1314 may be any device configured to generateaudible sound. The optional microphone(s) 1316 may be any deviceconfigured to receive analog sound input or voice data.

It should be appreciated that the program module(s), applications,computer-executable instructions, code, or the like depicted in FIG. 13as being stored in the data storage 1320 are merely illustrative and notexhaustive and that processing described as being supported by anyparticular module may alternatively be distributed across multiplemodule(s) or performed by a different module. In addition, variousprogram module(s), script(s), plug-in(s), Application ProgrammingInterface(s) (API(s)), or any other suitable computer-executable codehosted locally on the device 1300, and/or hosted on other computingdevice(s) accessible via one or more networks, may be provided tosupport functionality provided by the program module(s), applications,or computer-executable code depicted in FIG. 13 and/or additional oralternate functionality. Further, functionality may be modularizeddifferently such that processing described as being supportedcollectively by the collection of program module(s) depicted in FIG. 13may be performed by a fewer or greater number of module(s), orfunctionality described as being supported by any particular module maybe supported, at least in part, by another module. In addition, programmodule(s) that support the functionality described herein may form partof one or more applications executable across any number of systems ordevices in accordance with any suitable computing model such as, forexample, a client-server model, a peer-to-peer model, and so forth. Inaddition, any of the functionality described as being supported by anyof the program module(s) depicted in FIG. 13 may be implemented, atleast partially, in hardware and/or firmware across any number ofdevices.

It should further be appreciated that the device 1300 may includealternate and/or additional hardware, software, or firmware componentsbeyond those described or depicted without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure. More particularly, it should be appreciated thatsoftware, firmware, or hardware components depicted as forming part ofthe device 1300 are merely illustrative and that some components may notbe present or additional components may be provided in variousembodiments. While various illustrative program module(s) have beendepicted and described as software module(s) stored in data storage1320, it should be appreciated that functionality described as beingsupported by the program module(s) may be enabled by any combination ofhardware, software, and/or firmware. It should further be appreciatedthat each of the above-mentioned module(s) may, in various embodiments,represent a logical partitioning of supported functionality. Thislogical partitioning is depicted for ease of explanation of thefunctionality and may not be representative of the structure ofsoftware, hardware, and/or firmware for implementing the functionality.Accordingly, it should be appreciated that functionality described asbeing provided by a particular module may, in various embodiments, beprovided at least in part by one or more other module(s). Further, oneor more depicted module(s) may not be present in certain embodiments,while in other embodiments, additional module(s) not depicted may bepresent and may support at least a portion of the describedfunctionality and/or additional functionality. Moreover, while certainmodule(s) may be depicted and described as sub-module(s) of anothermodule, in certain embodiments, such module(s) may be provided asindependent module(s) or as sub-module(s) of other module(s).

Program module(s), applications, or the like disclosed herein mayinclude one or more software components including, for example, softwareobjects, methods, data structures, or the like. Each such softwarecomponent may include computer-executable instructions that, responsiveto execution, cause at least a portion of the functionality describedherein (e.g., one or more operations of the illustrative methodsdescribed herein) to be performed.

A software component may be coded in any of a variety of programminglanguages. An illustrative programming language may be a lower-levelprogramming language such as an assembly language associated with aparticular hardware architecture and/or operating system platform. Asoftware component comprising assembly language instructions may requireconversion into executable machine code by an assembler prior toexecution by the hardware architecture and/or platform.

Another example programming language may be a higher-level programminglanguage that may be portable across multiple architectures. A softwarecomponent comprising higher-level programming language instructions mayrequire conversion to an intermediate representation by an interpreteror a compiler prior to execution.

Other examples of programming languages include, but are not limited to,a macro language, a shell or command language, a job control language, ascript language, a database query or search language, or a reportwriting language. In one or more example embodiments, a softwarecomponent comprising instructions in one of the foregoing examples ofprogramming languages may be executed directly by an operating system orother software component without having to be first transformed intoanother form.

A software component may be stored as a file or other data storageconstruct. Software components of a similar type or functionally relatedmay be stored together such as, for example, in a particular directory,folder, or library. Software components may be static (e.g.,pre-established or fixed) or dynamic (e.g., created or modified at thetime of execution).

Software components may invoke or be invoked by other softwarecomponents through any of a wide variety of mechanisms. Invoked orinvoking software components may comprise other custom-developedapplication software, operating system functionality (e.g., devicedrivers, data storage (e.g., file management) routines, other commonroutines and services, etc.), or third-party software components (e.g.,middleware, encryption, or other security software, database managementsoftware, file transfer or other network communication software,mathematical or statistical software, image processing software, andformat translation software).

Software components associated with a particular solution or system mayreside and be executed on a single platform or may be distributed acrossmultiple platforms. The multiple platforms may be associated with morethan one hardware vendor, underlying chip technology, or operatingsystem. Furthermore, software components associated with a particularsolution or system may be initially written in one or more programminglanguages, but may invoke software components written in anotherprogramming language.

Computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto aspecial-purpose computer or other particular machine, a processor, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particularmachine, such that execution of the instructions on the computer,processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus causes one ormore functions or operations specified in the flow diagrams to beperformed. These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium (CRSM) that upon execution may direct acomputer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function ina particular manner, such that the instructions stored in thecomputer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufactureincluding instruction means that implement one or more functions oroperations specified in the flow diagrams. The computer programinstructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements orsteps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus toproduce a computer-implemented process.

Additional types of CRSM that may be present in any of the devicesdescribed herein may include, but are not limited to, programmablerandom access memory (PRAM), SRAM, DRAM, RAM, ROM, electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memorytechnology, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatiledisc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium which can be used to store the information and which can beaccessed. Combinations of any of the above are also included within thescope of CRSM. Alternatively, computer-readable communication media(CRCM) may include computer-readable instructions, program module(s), orother data transmitted within a data signal, such as a carrier wave, orother transmission. However, as used herein, CRSM does not include CRCM.

Although embodiments have been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific featuresor acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosedas illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditionallanguage, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,”unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within thecontext as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include,certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditionallanguage is not generally intended to imply that features, elements,and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or thatone or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with orwithout user input or prompting, whether these features, elements,and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particularembodiment.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining, by adevice comprising one or more computer processors coupled to memory, anouter boundary line of a tennis court; generating a digitalrepresentation of the tennis court using the outer boundary line,wherein the digital representation comprises at least a portion of anout-of-bounds area adjacent to the outer boundary line; determining thata first location of a first tennis ball is adjacent to an edge boundary,wherein the edge boundary is separated from the outer boundary line byan out-of-bounds area; and causing a tennis ball retrieval robot to moveto the first location to retrieve the first tennis ball, such that atleast a portion of the tennis ball retrieval robot makes contact withthe edge boundary while the first tennis ball is being retrieved;wherein the tennis ball retrieval robot is wirelessly connected to thedevice.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining asecond location of a second tennis ball; determining that the secondlocation is within a distance of the first location; and causing thetennis ball retrieval robot to move to the second location to retrievethe second tennis ball.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:causing the digital representation to be presented at a user device. 4.The method of claim 3, further comprising: broadcasting a wirelessnetwork; determining that the tennis ball retrieval robot is connectedto the wireless network; and determining that the user device isconnected to the wireless network.
 5. The method of claim 3, furthercomprising: causing presentation of a navigation menu at the userdevice; receiving, from the user device, data associated with userinputs at the navigation menu; and causing the tennis ball retrievalrobot to move on the tennis court based at least in part on the datareceived from the user device.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining the edge boundary of the tennis court;determining that the first location is within a distance of the edgeboundary; determining that the tennis ball retrieval robot will rubalong the edge boundary during movement; and causing a configuration ofthe tennis ball retrieval robot to change from a first configuration toa second configuration.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the edgeboundary is formed by a fence.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein thesecond configuration of the tennis ball retrieval robot comprises adifferent speed of movement than the first configuration.
 9. The methodof claim 1, wherein the digital representation comprises physicallocation coordinates for at least two landmarks.
 10. The method of claim1, further comprising: determining a physical location of the tennisball retrieval robot; wherein the digital representation of the tenniscourt comprises the tennis ball retrieval robot at coordinatescorresponding to the physical location.
 11. The method of claim 1,further comprising: sending data associated with the digitalrepresentation to the tennis ball retrieval robot, wherein the tennisball retrieval robot is configured to use the data to determine aposition of the tennis ball retrieval robot in the digitalrepresentation.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining that a plurality of tennis balls are disposed within adistance of the first location prior to causing the tennis ballretrieval robot to move to the first location.
 13. A device comprising:memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and at least oneprocessor configured to access the memory and execute thecomputer-executable instructions to: determine an outer boundary line ofa tennis court; generate a digital representation of the tennis courtusing the outer boundary line, wherein the digital representationcomprises at least a portion of an out-of-bounds area adjacent to theouter boundary line; determine that a first location of a first tennisball is adjacent to an edge boundary, wherein the edge boundary isseparated from the outer boundary line by an out-of-bounds area; andcause a tennis ball retrieval robot to move to the first location toretrieve the first tennis ball, such that at least a portion of thetennis ball retrieval robot makes contact with the edge boundary whilethe first tennis ball is being retrieved; wherein the tennis ballretrieval robot is wirelessly connected to the device.
 14. The device ofclaim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured toaccess the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to:determine a second location of a second tennis ball; determine that thesecond location is within a distance of the first location; and causethe tennis ball retrieval robot to move to the second location toretrieve the second tennis ball.
 15. The device of claim 13, wherein theat least one processor is further configured to access the memory andexecute the computer-executable instructions to: broadcast a wirelessnetwork; determine that the tennis ball retrieval robot is connected tothe wireless network; and determine that the user device is connected tothe wireless network.
 16. The device of claim 13, wherein the at leastone processor is further configured to access the memory and execute thecomputer-executable instructions to: cause presentation of a navigationmenu at the user device, wherein inputs at the user device cause thetennis ball retrieval robot to move on the tennis court.
 17. The deviceof claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured toaccess the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to:determine the edge boundary of the tennis court; determine that thefirst location is within a distance of the edge boundary; determine thatthe tennis ball retrieval robot will rub along the edge boundary duringmovement; and cause a configuration of the tennis ball retrieval robotto change from a first configuration to a second configuration.
 18. Thedevice of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to access the memory and execute the computer-executableinstructions to: determine a physical location of the tennis ballretrieval robot; wherein the digital representation of the tennis courtcomprises the tennis ball retrieval robot at coordinates correspondingto the physical location.
 19. The device of claim 13, wherein the atleast one processor is further configured to access the memory andexecute the computer-executable instructions to: send data associatedwith the digital representation to the tennis ball retrieval robot,wherein the tennis ball retrieval robot is configured to use the data todetermine a position of the tennis ball retrieval robot in the digitalrepresentation.
 20. A device comprising: a first camera; a secondcamera; memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and atleast one processor configured to access the memory and execute thecomputer-executable instructions to: determine an outer boundary line ofa tennis court; generate a digital representation of the tennis courtusing the outer boundary line, wherein the digital representationcomprises at least a portion of an out-of-bounds area adjacent to theouter boundary line; determine that a first location of a first tennisball is adjacent to an edge boundary, wherein the edge boundary isseparated from the outer boundary line by an out-of-bounds area; cause atennis ball retrieval robot to move to the first location to retrievethe first tennis ball, such that at least a portion of the tennis ballretrieval robot makes contact with the edge boundary while the firsttennis ball is being retrieved, wherein the tennis ball retrieval robotis wirelessly connected to the device; determine a second location of asecond tennis ball; determine that the second location is within adistance of the first location; and cause the tennis ball retrievalrobot to move to the second location to retrieve the second tennis ball.